Stop and think

This week’s blog post was going to be about eating cookies, or rather my lack of willpower when it comes to cookies, but something happened that I just have to get off my chest.

They say patience is a virtue. Unfortunately, it is not one of my virtues. I am a hyper person who can’t sit still. As such, I don’t have a lot of patience. With my prayer, meditation and yoga practices, I am getting better, but I still have a ways to go. This was brought home to me this Sunday.

I like to chill out on Sunday and have a leisurely day. I also hate to go food shopping, preferring to go first thing in the mornings during the week. Mom calls me this Sunday and says that she has to go to the grocery store. I’m thinking, “arghhhh, I ask her every day if she needs anything at the store and she says no.” Technically, she is still driving, but I have her car so that she can’t drive. I try to be very accommodating to her so that she doesn’t feel stuck.

I was very annoyed with her this day. She knows I hate to go food shopping when the store is really busy. It’s hard to find parking, I have to help her maneuver the store and the list goes on. She likes to go to the store herself and won’t give me a list of things she needs. Sharp words were exchanged. It all ended by me promising to stop by later that afternoon.

I calmed down and went over to her house. She greeted me by saying that the reason she wanted to go to the store was that she was out of coffee and hadn’t had her morning cup of coffee. Now that I get. I would be a total raving lunatic if I didn’t have my morning cup of coffee.

What this whole incident taught me was that when I get annoyed or impatient, I should ALWAYS take a deep breath before I do anything. And then I should THINK. My reading of situation may not be the total picture.

Nancy, we have all been there,one way or another..I had plenty of moments in a similar way with my Mom …we are human and from time to time will not be as patient as we wish we had been..Then the guilt would set in! It took me a long time to learn to forgive myself on those rare occasions and resolve to do better ! Your idea of a deep breath is priceless!! You are a terrific daughter !

Yes – I relate to the hyperness, Nancy. A deep breath and practicing patience would have kept me from having my foot in my mouth, more than once. I too am working at this cultivation of mindfulness with meditation, though no yoga – which know would also do a world of good – even though I climb into crawl spaces an attics with my work as a carpenter, I am terribly inflexible, sometimes in more way than one. Thanks for sharing, stopping and thinking. Best regards – to you, and you mom.

Thanks for your comment. You should definitely try yoga! If you aren’t really into the whole yoga thing, there’s a fun practice call DDP Yoga. It was created by Diamond Dallas Page, a retired wrestler.